A bourbon giant is boosting its production of craft whiskeys. Beam Suntory broke ground Thursday on a new distillery at Jim Beam's Clermont campus.It's part of a $60 million investment by one of the world's largest bourbon makers."I'm proud to stand up here today and announce that we're going to be naming this distillery the Fred B. Noe Craft Distillery after my dad," Freddie Noe said. It's named after seventh generation master distiller and the great grandson of Jim Beam, Fred Noe. The distillery will be home to production for small batch brands such as Bookers and Knob Creek. "There's an expression in our family, you don't get anywhere standing still. We ain't standing still in Clermont," Fred Noe said.This comes as Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul introduce a bill in Washington that can benefit the bourbon industry. The bill will permanently provide tax relief to distillers, allowing them to deduct interest expenses for their inventories that same year, instead of waiting years down the road when the bourbon is bottled and sold.The bill could potentially save distilleries more money and potentially add hundreds of jobs.With a bigger investment in tourism, visitors will get an elevated experience from behind-the-scene tours to tasting rooms."This distillery will showcase our history of quality as well as our creative knowledge in bourbon making," Fred Noe said.Officials tell WLKY they plan to fill the first bourbon barrel late next year. The facility is expected to be up-and-running by early 2021.

CLERMONT, Ky. —

A bourbon giant is boosting its production of craft whiskeys. Beam Suntory broke ground Thursday on a new distillery at Jim Beam's Clermont campus.

It's part of a $60 million investment by one of the world's largest bourbon makers.

Advertisement

"I'm proud to stand up here today and announce that we're going to be naming this distillery the Fred B. Noe Craft Distillery after my dad," Freddie Noe said.

It's named after seventh generation master distiller and the great grandson of Jim Beam, Fred Noe.

The distillery will be home to production for small batch brands such as Bookers and Knob Creek.

Renderings of new distillery

"There's an expression in our family, you don't get anywhere standing still. We ain't standing still in Clermont," Fred Noe said.

This comes as Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul introduce a bill in Washington that can benefit the bourbon industry.

The bill will permanently provide tax relief to distillers, allowing them to deduct interest expenses for their inventories that same year, instead of waiting years down the road when the bourbon is bottled and sold.

The bill could potentially save distilleries more money and potentially add hundreds of jobs.

With a bigger investment in tourism, visitors will get an elevated experience from behind-the-scene tours to tasting rooms.

"This distillery will showcase our history of quality as well as our creative knowledge in bourbon making," Fred Noe said.

Officials tell WLKY they plan to fill the first bourbon barrel late next year. The facility is expected to be up-and-running by early 2021.